Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Autumn ordinations begin
There has been a long tradition, from at least the 5th century, in the western church of holding ordinations at Embertide, those days around the Feast of St Lucy (13 December), Ash Wednesday, Whit Sunday and Holy Cross Day (14 September) although in more modern times there has been a tendency to follow the pattern of the Church of England and ordain priests at Petertide, around the Feast of St Peter on 29 June. In recent years the Church of Ireland has abandoned this tradition to facilitate a new model of training. In this model final year ordinands are ordained as deacons intern and assigned to a parish. They combine this practical parish work with academic study in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute in Dublin, and, following the completion of a dissertation, they are appointed to curacies and ordained to the priesthood in the autumn.
The first round of these autumn ordinations will be held tomorrow in Downpatrick and Kilkenny. In Down cathedral the Bishop of Down & Dromore, the Rt Revd Harold Miller, will ordain the Revds Scott McDonald, Peter Munce, Robert Smyth and Raymond Kettyle to the priesthood. Mr Kettyle will be curate in the parish of Cregagh and Mr Munce will serve as curate in the parish of Moira. Mr McDonald and Mr Smyth will be diocesan curates serving in the Lecale Mission Area, which is part of a group of parishes based on Down cathedral, and in Annalong respectively. In St Canice’s cathedral, Kilkenny, the Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory, the Rt Revd Michael Burrows, will raise the Revd David Compton the priesthood. Mr Compton will serve as a curate in the Kilkenny union of parishes which is composed of St Canice’s and St John’s, Kilkenny, Aghour and Kilmanagh.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the services in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, will be sung by the Past Choristers, while in St Patrick’s cathedral the Close Chorale will sing the services. In St Patrick’s cathedral, Armagh, as part of the Charles Wood Festival and Summer School, the Charles Wood Singers will sing at the Eucharist and at the Festal Evensong. In St John’s church, Sandymount, at 3pm there will be a recital of music from World War I and the 1916 Rising featuring organist, Eoin Ward, and piper, Fionn O hAlmhain.
In St Mary’s church, Carlow, tomorrow (Sunday) evening the Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory will institute the Revd David White as Rector of Carlow, Urglin & Staplestown in succession to the Revd Olivia Williams who has retired from the stipendiary ministry. Mr White was ordained in 2012 and since 2013 has been curate in Bandon.
On Thursday evening in St Peter’s church, Drogheda, the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Richard Clarke, will institute the Revd Iain Jamieson as rector of the Drogheda and Ardee and Kilsaran unions of parishes in Co. Louth. Mr Jamieson was ordained in 2011 and has been curate in Ballymena, Co. Antrim, since 2012. He succeeds the Revd Michael Graham who has retired from the stipendiary ministry.
In Fintona, Co. Tyrone, on Friday evening the Bishop of Clogher, the Rt Revd John McDowell, will institute the Revd John Woods to the incumbency of Donacavey and Barr. Mr Woods was ordained in 2012 and since 2013 he has been bishop’s curate in the Kildallon and Swanlinbar group of parishes in Co. Cavan. Mr Woods will join his wife, the Revd Stephanie Woods, in the Diocese of Clogher. Mrs Woods is Rector of Lisbellaw.
Published in the Friday edition of The Irish Times